Camp Loons
The utter stillness of Rainbow Lake was punctuated by loons chattering away. We heard all four typical calls, which inspired two of us to chatter back. Though I didn’t record the lake loons, I did capture the camp loons. The first voice you hear is mine encouraging Mark to engage the water fowl.
Compare those sounds to these .
Okay, I goofed. I uploaded a movie with dependent files and I should have uploaded the full version. The best thing to do is play it a second time (provided that it loads), because it’s a large file that might stutter initially. I hope it’s worth the wait. I laugh everytime I hear it, but then I’m way too familiar with the characters involved.
Rak, is this large enough?
Too bad I can’t play mp3 files on my Linux work computer with its fast connection (Red Hat has had to remove its player because of patent infringements). On the other hand, I have sound on my home minMac, but with a verrrrry sloooow connection. So I probably can’t hear those camp loons. 🙁
Now if I could copy the mp3 file to a flash drive, I could take it home and play it all I want. But the “camp loons” link is to an html file, which asks for a non-linux or patent-infringing (take your choice) plugin. So I’ll have to be content with saving the mp3 files from http://www.learner.org.
One day I’ll hear a loon in the wild. No loons in MD or out west, so I’ll just have to paddle up to Maine, I guess. Although, come to think of it, Spoons Pond sometimes has loons.
Comment by rakkity — October 19, 2005 @ 9:56 am
I usually can readily play all those things but can’t play Mike’s camp sounds file for some reason … I know of what he speaks, though, and hope some CAN play it for the humor of it. No, alcohol was not involved …
Great Katahdin shot I don’t remember seeing myself!
Comment by adam — October 19, 2005 @ 10:23 am
So that’s Katahdin? Nice composition. But how come we can’t see an enlargement?
Comment by rakkity — October 19, 2005 @ 12:05 pm
Yeah, looks like the camp loons link is broken. I have Windows with all the fixin’s…er, I mean plugins.
Comment by disappointed — October 19, 2005 @ 1:34 pm
I’m a Mac person and I have my own loons (which have already left MN for warmer climes), but I can’t play the lunatic camper calls either.
Comment by FierceBaby — October 19, 2005 @ 2:40 pm
>Rak, is this large enough?
Large enough that I can’t even download one pixel of it here at home. And the camp loons never do anything. Can you at least provide a link to a downloadable files?
> The best thing to do is play it a second time (provided that it loads)
Where’s the “play” button? Is it supposed to download automagically?
But, anyway, http://www.learner has working audio files (unlike some other audio files that shall remain nameless), so at least I got to hear the tremulos, hoots, and all.
Comment by rakkity — October 19, 2005 @ 9:17 pm
–large enough?
Wow, after doing some work outside, waiting for the picture to download, I came in to find Kathadin looming like Popocatapetl over my desk. Looks like I’d need 4 monitors to see the whole picture!
Patrick came in from karate just now, and heard the wailing of loons from the miniMac. He agrees that its a wierd and wonderful call.
Comment by rakkity — October 19, 2005 @ 9:33 pm
You have something slower than a dial-up. That photo only weighs 320 K.
I will provide the downloadable files.
Comment by michael — October 20, 2005 @ 6:58 am
You should hear the snaps, crackles and pops we have on our line. It’s an underground phone line, and sometimes I think the 13-year cicadas down there are chewing on it. DSL would never work here, unless they dug up the old line or just abandoned it and hung a new one.
Comment by rakkity — October 20, 2005 @ 9:41 am
Rak sounds like a prime satellite candidate, though I’m guessing trees are that Achilles’ heel …
Katahdin looms grandly and in better color in that second shot Mike (though why not just a bigger size of the blog page one?).
Comment by adam — October 20, 2005 @ 10:10 am
Katahdin looms
as camper goons
mock Rainbow’s loons
I like the grandly looming one, but I agree with Adam, why not both it and another, bigger version of the blog pic.
Comment by rakkity — October 20, 2005 @ 5:11 pm
Finally got the camp loons to load. Could’ve fooled me. For all I know, they might’ve been the real thing. Beth laughed when she heard them.
Comment by rakkity — October 20, 2005 @ 10:16 pm